Spike pulls another fast one on me

The three of us lounge around the campsite enjoying the desert.

What a pretty day. Oh, look! There’s another hummingbird. I really should tidy up the BLT. Maybe I’ll try out the new windshield squeegie. . . later. Gee, what a nice breeeze. I wonder if there are any sheep on that mountain. Hmm . . . What am I going to have for lunch? And so it goes . . .

Peace reigns at the campsite.

Bridget, of course, is close by. She relaxes in the doggie bed with her face tucked in to block out the desert sunshine. She’s thinking her own lazy thoughts, no doubt.

Spike, as is his custom, lies in the dirt under the BLT where I can’t see him. No telling what he’s thinking.

Periodically, I glance under there to check on him.

“Son of a . . . He’s gone!”

Darn that dog! I scan the desert and see the four-legged devil trotting down the lane toward the highway.

I’m glad we’re camped far from the road. It’ll take him quite a while to get that far.

I scramble for my sandals and hustle after him with Bridget trailing behind me.

No sense calling him as he can’t hear me and wouldn’t respond if he could. He’s picking up speed. Eventually the lane curves around the bushes which gives him the cover he needs for his plan.

I have slip-on sandals on, not the lace-up walking shoes I usually wear when traipsing the desert.

The heavy, coarse sand gets into the sandals, making a fast chase difficult.

I don’t want Bridget to run too fast and hurt her leg again. Yet my mind foresees a terrible outcome and at the same time I get madder and madder at Spike’s repeated recklessness.

Bridget sits down, panting.

A big ol’ hauling truck rumbles down the highway. Well, at least he knows to stay away from traffic.

Slowly I turn 360 degrees, eyes scanning like radar. No sign of him!He could be behind any one of the million creosote bushes around here, not knowing which way to go, what with his poor eyesight.

Panic grabs me by the throat.

Stupid me! I should have looked for his tracks. Now when we backtrack on this lane, I’ll see Bridget’s tracks and my own. I stop to think: WWSD? What WOULD he do? I put my devil cap on, so to speak.

He’d make me think he’s going down the lane. Then as soon as he figured he’s out of our view, he’d make a sharp right. Why? To go over to that group of RVs and socialize with the folks. That’s it!

Bridget sits in the sand.

“C’mon, Honey. Let’s go and get Spike.”

The two of us trudge through the creosote bushes and other thorny desert plants. As we approach the RVs, a group of people sitting in a circle comes into view. My hope increases.

“Hello! I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m Sue from the Casita over there. I have another dog that looks like this one. Have you seen him?”

Someone replies, “He was here about five minutes ago.” I can see from the smiles that Spike made himself well-acquainted with everyone.

Another voice, “Has a short tail.”

Still another, “He went that-a-way.” She points in the direction of our campsite. It’s a little dot of white against the mountain backdrop.

“Thank you!”

As I turn to head that way, I have a sudden urge to make a remark to the people, like “I’m really 27 years old. I look this way because of THAT DOG!” No time for jokes. We need to get going.

Oh no, not now. Bridget is playing the group for attention. “C’mon, Bridget. Let’s GO!” She ignores me. I go over, pick her up, and carry her away from the RVers who call out cheerily, “Good luck!”

We make a beeline to the BLT.

“Hi, guys! What took you so long? Heh-heh.”

All the way back, two scenarios alternately play in my mind:

1) I frantically search around the campsite in tears, looking under the BLT, screaming his name, or. . .

2) Spike greet us with a devilish expression of “Where have you two been?”

Thank God, it turns out to be the latter.

rvsue

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Note: To see a brief summary of where we camped and what we spent during November, click on the drop-down menu under Financial Reports in the header.

47 Responses to Spike pulls another fast one on me

The look on his face tells all. He truly is a devil dog. I can imagine your frustration, fear, and most of all relief to find him. Bridget, you really need to talk some sense into that naughty, naughty, Spike.

Love the comment ‘You need a Spike Bike for chasing after….’ Sounds like a good idea…with a little carrier basket for Bridget when she gets tired. If I don’t play fetch the ball or take them on walks, my terriers they bored & naughty like Spike. But, I have to say I love them the way they are just like I like Spike exactly the way he is….full of mischief…he is so adorable.

You might want to put some bells on his collar/harness…that way when he decides to take a trip you’ll hear him before he gets to far. Whew…so glad he was back at the BLT when you returned!
Spike…Spike…Spike…not nice ta scare Mom half ta death or make Bridget have ta chase after you!!!!

Gosh, scares you half to death. Had a human child do that an appear back at the cabin sitting on the trash can..was relieved but wanted to say mean things like nothing happened to you thank God but …hehe stay away from me for a few more moments. Just kidding…
Glad this story ended so well.

Sounds as if Spikey gets bored after a while. I wonder…..just thinkin…..What if you had little flags around your campsites perimeter. While Spike is on a lead, you walk him around and when approaching a flag you say loudly NO!, jerk him back. The invisible fence people say to do that for 3 days then try him off lead. And if he does not cross the flag line, you say good Spikey and give him a treat….I dunno, just trying to help you find a safe alternative. Lots of luck

Oh Dear my heart was in my stomach. Does he not know there are coyotes out there? I have had two Jacks that got it by coyotes here in our desert. One made it and the other didn’t, neither did the neighbors dogs. Oh my he scared me and I am not there!

Well Spikey, that was my scare for this week-u had me going boy! I’m so glad ur back home. And Sue, ur so right about walking without jingling the bells-my little beagle/dachshaund (sp) mix has two tags on his collar and my husband used to listen for them when he got out of sight…..he has since learned to walk in a way that they don’t jingle. lol Our canine companions are not only sweet, they r smart too!

Wow! With possibility of snakes, coyotes, and strangers, I believe I’d either put him in a harness or a Martingale collar. Just reading your account of Spike’s little escapade made a lump in my throat. He definitely loves to go ‘cruising’, but obviously doesn’t know what peril he may find. Most people have never heard of the Martingale collars, but greyhound and whippet owners swear by them!
Hugs,
Becky

You need to keep him in one of those kinds that goes behind the front legs as well as around the chest. We never had our “escape artist” get out of one. It is not good for the adrenaline to get wasted that way as we age!! Hopefully Bridgit is ok and you too. Sure a difference in dog personalities, isn’t there?

Sue, this is what we finally had to use on our Jack Russell! She would scare us half to death! After the first day wearing it she was used to it. She can’t slip out of it and if she gets a little to big for her britches, she get attached to a lead on the bumper of the trailer. When she found out she could still move around and get under the trailer she became used to that also.

Oh that little snot! This is what I am worried about when we take onto the road, We have one deaf border terrier, just wonders outside of our sight and the panic gets all of us. And the two Italian greyhounds, one of them would likely not go too far, but the other one would just keep on going even if she hears you calling… The faster I move, the faster she moves too… and there is no way outrunning her. We still haven’t figured out how to make it possible for them all to be off the leash, but safe… some sort of portable fence will be must for us.
I am just glad you all are safe, some maybe a tad annoyed, but all are safe! 😀

Hi Sue,
You think Bridget is an angel and Spike is… well, Spike isn’t. I have a suggestion… Instead of checking on Spike every 15 minutes, why not check on him every half hour. That will give him enough time to do what he feels compelled to do and get back before he’s missed. Then you can view him as the sweetheart you may wish him to be…

Hi Sue, Just love how you tell a story. You had me gripped to your words and photos throughout the entire reading. Thanks to all three of you for my daily entertainment and smiles. Bev from Venice, FL and Manitowish Waters, WI

We have a summer place in northern Wisconsin on a 500 acre lake. The area is called “The Northwoods”, center of the state near the northern border. It’s a vacationer’s paradise for outdoorsy folks like myself. Thousands of lakes nestled in beautiful forests. Water sports, such as kayaking, along with hiking, cycling, fishing are all the draw here. The winters brings the skiers and snowmobilers to play. I have organized a weekly kayaking group for ten years, where we are still exploring the endless lakes and rivers. It may be somewhere you’d like to see someday. I’d recommend September once the kids are back in school, and stay until the fall color gives you it’s show. My two Labs love the hiking off leash and swimming throughout the day in the lake.

that’s why th eyre called RAT terriers, cause they’re dirty rats,gives Bridge a chance to be “goody-two-shoes”,her calling in life.Our Indie Has siezures, and if she disappears at three in the morn,,I panic.We tel Skeeze to “go find Indie”, and she always comes back with Indie.Always a relief!

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Meet the canine crew!

Roger (left) and Reggie (right)

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